Transparator Mediums for Model Painting

Transparator Mediums for Model Painting

What’s in this collection

The transparator category brings together a set of specialized mediums designed to give artists more control over transparency, blends, and tonal transitions. These products—primarily from AMMO by MIG—are formulated to modify acrylic paint behavior without compromising color integrity. Whether you work on miniatures, scale models, dioramas, or weathering effects, transparator mediums help you push paint further, soften contrast, and build layers with precision.

Inside this collection you'll find options like AMMO Transparator 60ml, AMMO Transparator Matte, and AMMO Transparator 17ml bottles, which suit both airbrush and brush applications. These mediums tone down opacity, making it easier to glaze, shadow, tint, or create filter-like layers for realistic finishes. If you want more subtle highlights or gentle transitions on armor plates, aircraft panels, figures, bases, or fantasy miniatures, this is where these mediums shine.

Each bottle is ready to combine with standard acrylic paints, helping you stretch color volumes and maintain smoother consistency. You’ll also find that they pair perfectly with weathering effects, modulation processes, panel work, and figure painting, especially when fine control is required.

Benefits, uses, and practical tips

Working with a transparator medium is a powerful way to level up your painting workflow. These products make colors more flexible and forgiving, especially when you want to avoid abrupt transitions or overly saturated layers.

Common uses include:

• Creating soft gradients
Ideal for aircraft wings, armor plates, cloaks, skin tones, and any surface requiring subtle shifts between hues.

• Glazing and tinting
Apply thin, translucent layers to push shadows, enhance highlights, or modify tones without covering underlying detail.

• Extending paint work time
Transparator mediums slow down opacity buildup, allowing you to make multiple passes without accidental overpainting.

• Improving modulation effects
For vehicle modelers, these mediums help blend highlights and shadows while maintaining surface texture and detail.

• Enhancing brush control
When used with a brush, transparator gives smoother flow and reduces unwanted brush strokes, especially on curved surfaces.

• Increasing color versatility
With a single paint color, adding transparator lets you create several levels of transparency, giving you more value from the same bottle.

To use them effectively:

• Start with a small amount of paint and gradually add transparator until you reach the desired transparency.
• For airbrushing, aim for a milk-like consistency while keeping PSI low for maximum control.
• Apply several light passes instead of one heavy coat—this preserves surface detail and ensures flawless results.
• Try combining transparator with matte versions when working on figures or weathering to soften shine and maintain realism.
• Clean your airbrush as usual; these mediums do not gum up or alter standard maintenance routines.

These products are especially appreciated by painters who enjoy precision work, atmospheric effects, or highly controlled layering. Diorama artists also use them for dusting effects and environmental transitions. Their versatility makes them essential tools in any painter’s arsenal, no matter the skill level.

Explore the full selection and choose the bottle size and finish that best fits your workflow. Whether you need standard or matte transparency control, this collection has exactly what you need to elevate your painting results with consistency and finesse.

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